More Oregon Students Are Homeless, New Law Makes It Easier for Them to Stay in School
With more Oregon students living in shelters or being unsheltered, Governor Tina Kotek signed House Bill 4149 into law on March 31, a law that protects educational rights for students experiencing homelessness by entrenching federal safeguards into state law.
Oregon HB 4149 Protecting Homeless Students Signed Into Law
A Portland State University report indicates that 22,000 students in Oregon experienced homelessness during the 2022-2023 school year.
Students experiencing homelessness face major barriers to finishing school- an Oregon Department of Education report shows students dealing with housing instability graduate at lower rates than their peers.
HB 4149 now guarantees immediate school enrollment regardless of documentation, transportation to a student’s school of origin, access to support services, and clear dispute-resolution processes.
The law incorporates protections from the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act into Oregon law, ensuring that students retain their rights even if federal policy changes.
More Oregon Students Are Living In Shelters Or Are Unsheltered
Housing instability among Oregon students is worsening and becoming commonplace. more common Although Oregon’s homeless-student count was only modestly higher in 2023-24 than before the pandemic, state education data shows that more students were living in shelters or unsheltered settings.
Sources: Oregon Department of Education Statewide Report Card housing insecurity counts for 2020 / 21 and 2024 / 25
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Data from a McKinney-Vento report indicates that Oregon now ranks #1 for unsheltered child homelessness, with a rate of 19.9 per 10,000 children.
The report suggests that child homelessness is increasing, It said that the number of homeless students rose by 17% and the share of homeless students in total enrollment increased from 3.32% to 3.89% between the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years.
In addition, a separate report shows that one out of every 25 students in Oregon was experiencing homelessness last year, with about 4,000 more Oregon kids being homeless last year than the year before.
The report observed the abundance of campgrounds and noted that a lot of students are in camping-type situations, living in RVs.